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The Digital Marketing Budgets infographic is a digital marketing calculator to help businesses determine what they should be allocating marketing in 2012.

Below are statistics uncovered during research to determine what percentage of marketing budgets organizations are currently allocating towards digital marketing, and what we can expect to see digital marketing budgets to look like in 2012. We’ve also created an infographic to illustrate these, and a digital marketing calculator to help businesses determine what they should be allocating to digital marketing in 2012.

SEO and social media marketing currently make up 70% of online marketing budgets. Overall, 24% of budgets were spent on digital marketing in 2011. Although the percentage of budgets that include online marketing tactics increase every year, 28% of organizations are in the process of moving their marketing budgets to digital channels.

There are some great charts, a great color scheme and really valuable information in this infographic, and I love that they included a number of different chart styles. However, it stumbles with a number of the data visualizations that don’t match the data. Accuracy is the most important aspect of infographic design, because when you mess up visualizing the data your overall design loses credibility.

The circular bar chart in the first section has text values of 64%, but the visualization is showing a value close to 85%. In the Ad Spending grid of 100 Circles, the data shown in text is 20%, but only 8% is colored red in the data visualization. In the final Mobile Ad Spending circular bar chart at the end of the infographic, I can’t see any correlation between the numbers and the chart.

How Corporate Logos Evolve, shows us how even iconic world-wide recognized company logos change over time.

We often get asked for a logo design that can stand the test of time. Something that will last forever. I mean, we look at all these “Mega Corporates” and their logos never change. Do they? Well, actually and surprisingly, they do….a lot.

This illustration depicts some of the biggest global brands and highlights the evolution of their logos from humble beginnings to the present day. It might strike you how some of the designs started out looking like their biggest rivals and others appear to of hardly changed at all. Timeless is certainly not the overriding characteristic of most of these early creations.

This is a perfect use of an informative infographic that ties directly into a company’s business, and makes for a great content tool for marketing. The big challenge in the coming years will be the relevance of infographics to the sites that publish them, and this is the right way to do it. Informative, entertaining infographic that is directly relevant to the hosting website without specifically being an advertisement for their business.

They should have included a copyright (or Creative Commons) license and the direct URL to the infographic blog post in the footer of the design. That way the information travels with the infographic as it is shared and posted across different sites.

When it comes to shopping bags the top global retailers stick to their color identities, but with companies finally feeling the pressure to do something with all their white plastic bag waste, some took the opportunity to show their creativity.

We've rounded up some colorful bags from those clever designers who are not limited to the strict style guides of the corporate world.

We can help you select the right color for your brand. Picking the right colour can be difficult and requires time and planning.

What colour represents your brand’s personality?

What colour suits the characteristics of your product/service?

What colour does your competitor(s) use?

Colours aren’t tied to any particular industry

Though some may be better suited for some services/products than others. You should aim to pick a colour that will represent your brand’s personality best. One that will give your customers the right impression the first time they see it.

You aren’t limited to one colour.

Some brands like eBay choose to go with many colors to represent variety — but you can also choose a couple of colours that work well together.

Consider differences in cultural interpretations of your color.

For example in the Western world, white is considered the colour of purity and peace, however, in some parts of Asia white is the color of death. Make sure the color you select will give the right impressions in the markets you’re present in.

Pick a colour opposite to that of your main competitor.

The colour of your main competitor is probably the most important point to consider. If you’re the first in a new industry or market segment, then you have first picks. Choose the colour that represents your product and its personality. If you’re second, then that first choice may already be taken. Instead of picking the same or similar colour, pick the opposite. Pick blue if your competitor has red, pick purple if they have yellow, etc. A brand’s strength lies in its ability to stand out. Picking the same color to that of your key competitor makes you a me-too product. Instead, you want to separate yourself from the competitor, you want to show that you’re different.

A good brand is like a person’s fingerprint, It is your way of showing your customers how your business is distinctive from the competition. Creating an image for your company that reflects your style and your goals in a way that appeals to your targeted customers. An attractive and well-designed brand can go a long way towards marketing success. Remember…first impressions count! Your brand comes to life with good design. Visual design gives presence to your business, helps it maintain market presence and continue to be relevant with the existing and new clients.

Colour plays a vitally important role in the world in which we live. Colour can sway thinking, change actions, and cause reactions. It can irritate or soothe your eyes, raise your blood pressure or suppress your appetite. When used in the right ways, colour can even save on energy consumption. As a powerful form of communication, colour is irreplaceable. Red means “stop” and green means “go.” Traffic lights send this universal message. Likewise, the colours used for a product, web site, business card, or logo cause powerful reactions. – Color Matters

Research reveals people make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone.

Colour in Branding

‘Have you ever considered the importance of colour in branding? Coke is red. UPS is brown. IBM is blue. These corporations understand the proper use of colour is vital to creating a positive image among consumers. Furthermore, color plays a huge role in memory recall. It stimulates all the senses, instantly conveying a message like no other communication method.

Choosing the right dominant colour for your brand is crucial. This colour should appear on all your promotional materials, including your logo and product packaging. As much as possible, the colour you choose should set you apart, work with your industry and image, and tie to your brand promise. It should also take into account color psychology, which is fairly complex. Colours can mean different things depending on the culture, situation and industry.

Blue: Cool blue is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible and secure. Strongly associated with the sky and sea, blue is serene and universally well-liked. Blue is an especially popular colour with financial institutions, as its message of stability inspires trust.

Green:In general, green connotes health, freshness and serenity. However, green’s meaning varies with its many shades. Deeper greens are associated with wealth or prestige, while light greens are calming.

Yellow:In every society, yellow is associated with the sun. Thus, it communicates optimism, positivism, light and warmth. Certain shades seem to motivate and stimulate creative thought and energy. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making them great for point-of-purchase displays.

Purple: Purple is a colour favored by creative types. With its blend of passionate red and tranquil blue, it evokes mystery, sophistication, spirituality and royalty. Lavender evokes nostalgia and sentimentality.

Pink: Pink’s message varies by intensity. Hot pinks convey energy, youthfulness, fun and excitement and are recommended for less expensive or trendy products for women or girls. Dusty pinks appear sentimental. Lighter pinks are more romantic.

Orange: Cheerful orange evokes exuberance, fun and vitality. With the drama of red plus the cheer of yellow, orange is viewed as gregarious and often childlike. Research indicates its lighter shades appeal to an upscale market. Peach tones work well with health care, restaurants and beauty salons.

Brown: This earthy color conveys simplicity, durability and stability. It can also elicit a negative response from consumers who relate to it as dirty. Certain shades of brown, like terracotta, can convey an upscale look. From a functional perspective, brown tends to hide dirt, making it a logical choice for some trucking and industrial companies.

Black: Black is serious, bold, powerful and classic. It creates drama and connotes sophistication. Black works well for expensive products, but can also make a product look heavy.

White: White connotes simplicity, cleanliness and purity. The human eye views white as a brilliant colour, so it immediately catches the eye in signage. White is often used with infant and health-related products.

All the colours above can be categorized into two basic categories: warm and cold. In general, warm colours, like red and yellow, send an outgoing, energetic message, while cool colours, like blue, are calmer and more reserved. However, brightening a cool colour increases its vibrancy and reduces its reserve

Blue is the shortest wavelength, which is highly absorbed by human eye and its not therefore acceptable by mind, immediately they seek for next longest wavelength (Green, Yellow, Orange and Red).Red has the highest wavelength, it is easily accepted by human eye, so its more attractive and easily understandable by brain.It is how we manipulate the wavelengths, is how we generate brand color management.’ - entrepreneur.com

From iconic brands like BMW, Apple, IBM, Shell and Nike, to small design shops and subversive artist collectives, maintaining a conversation with your customer base is an important aspect of running a successful business. One way you can do that is by updating your brand with the changing times. While the process should not be taken lightly, nor should it be done more often than necessary, it'll let them all know your listening.

Here is a look at a few updates of iconic brands, as inspiration for those looking to make a few changes...